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The Izaga masquerade, which is the tallest of all Igbo masquerades, is often considered a humorous or show-off masquerade. Both shorter and taller growth is a possibility for them. They only appear at customary rites or festivals to appease the audience.
Ijele Masquerade, known as the biggest Masquerade in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a tradition of the Igbo people of Nigeria and was listed in the UNESCO Archives as an intangible cultural element in need of urgent safeguarding [1]. In many communities in the state of Anambra in South-Eastern Nigeria, celebrations, burial ceremonies and other special ...
An example of a traditional Mmanwu costume and mask. Mmanwu // ⓘ is a traditional masquerade of the Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria.They are performed only by males in exclusive secret societies and involve the use of elaborate, colorful costumes that are meant to invoke ancestral spirits. [1]
The Ikeji festival is an annual four-day festival held by the Igbo people of Arondizuogu, [1] in Imo state, Nigeria, between the months of March and April to celebrate the harvest of new yams and the Igbo culture. It is arguably the largest masquerade parade in West Africa.
Based on an Igbo legend, masquerades were first introduced to the town of Arondizuogu by Okoye Nwaobi or Okoye Mmonwu ("Okoye the Masquerade"), a villager who employed masked figures to scare away his opponent during a land dispute. [5] Alex Asigbo argued that masquerade cults were developed by male elders as a form of social control.
The performances showcase an ideal image of an Igbo maiden. This ideal is made up by the smallness of a young girl's features and the whiteness of her complexion, which is an indication that the mask is a spirit. This whiteness is created using a chalk substance used for ritually marking the body in both West Africa and the African Diaspora.
Nsukka is known to be rich in tradition and it is one of the Igbo communities that still upholds her traditional practices especially the masquerade festival. [15] These masquerades comes in different colors and shapes, some are beautifully made while some are tattered. [16] The Nsukka masquerade assumes different names in different communities.
These festivities normally include a variety of entertainments and ceremonies, including the performance of rites by the Igwe , or the eldest man, and cultural dances by Igbo men, women, and their children. The festival features Igbo cultural activities in the form of contemporary shows, masquerade dances, and fashion parades. [9]